F1 USA Grand Prix Betting Odds and Preview

Alonso clings to faint title hopes as Vettel dominates US practice

16th November 2012 / Lee A Jackson

The 2012 F1 Drivers Championship could all be settled on the weekend in Texas. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who is the double World Champion has the title in his hands as he holds a ten point lead over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso heading into the penultimate race of the race. There are lots of permutations for this one, but all of the pressure is on Spaniard Alonso to try and keep the title race alive. With Vettel going strongly in practice, setting the pace, he will be red hot favourite to pick up yet another win, having won four of the last five races. It has been a turnaround in form from the Red Bull driver which has eaten away at the lead Alonso had and if the German wins the USA Grand Prix on Sunday, Alonso has to make it to a fourth place finish or higher to take the title race to the final drive of the season in Brazil.

Alonso himself has admitted that Vettel has the faster car and that he needs help from the Red Bulls, in seeing them falter, to realistically keep any chances of winning this year’s title alive. The form of Vettel over the latter half of the season has been astounding. Four wins in a row and he took third place on the podium a fortnight ago in Abu Dhabi after starting from the back of the grid after a qualification disqualification. There is the factor of this being a brand new track, purpose built in Austin, Texas, but there is the factor of Vettel’s pace and power, as he finished fastest in in the first and second practices on Friday. His team mate Mark Webber was the closest to him,and Fernando Alonso looked to have just enough to keep pace, pushing Webber hard for second fastest, but still a way off the ominous pace of Vettel in his Red Bull.

It could well pan out to be a pole to chequered flag performance from Vettel, and his pace just suggests that even with a hiccup that he will be on the podium. With Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button well off the pace in 4th and 5th in practice, all eyes will simply be on the performance of Alonso his Ferrari and whether or not he can keep in touch with Vettel at the Circuit of the Americas to keep his faint hopes alive until Brazil next weekend.

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